Spike heel construction



Dec. 14, 1965 F. w. MOSTERTZ SPIKE HEEL CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 5, 1965 INVENTOR FERDINAND 14 M0$77ERTZ United States Patent 3,222,801 SPIKE HEEL CQNSTRUCTIIUN Ferdinand W. Mostertz, 701 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, Pa. Filed Dec. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 327,700 4 Claims. (6]. 36-39) This invention relates to a spike heel construction. The invention more particularly relates to a novel spike heel construction for womens shoes, such as dress shoes.

Womens shoes, and particularly dress shoes, have been provided with longer and narrower spike heels as the same are considered stylish and fashionable. In use these heels are prone to cause damage to floor coverings, such as rugs, carpets, as for example, loop pile carpets, resilient tile, and the like. Due to the high pressures which are concentrated on the narrow heel tips, it has been necessary to construct the tips of hard materials, such as metal, and this aggravates the damage caused by the heels in use.

One object of this invention is a novel construction for a spike heel and particularly the tip thereof which, while still appearing stylish, will not cause damage to floors and floor coverings in use.

A further object of this invention is a novel construction for a spike heel for a womans shoe, and particularly the tip thereof, which will appear stylish and fashionable and may be attached to existing shoes, is comfortable and wear-resistant in use, and which will not cause damage to floors or their coverings. These and still further objects will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a womans dress shoe with an embodiment of a spiked heel in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-section of an embodiment of a spike heel in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of a portion of the construction of a spike heel in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, showing an embodiment of a spike heel tip in accordance with the invention, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary rear elevation of a further embodiment of a spike heel in accordance with the invention.

The spike heel for a womans shoe in accordance with the invention is provided with a spherical tip.

Referring to the embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, ll represents a womans dress shoe of conventional construction provided with the thin, long spike heel 2. In accordance with the invention the spike heel 2 is provided with the spherical tip 3. The spherical tip 3 should preferably have a diameter greater than the diameter of the adjacent portion of the spike heel to which it is attached, at 4. The diameter of the spherical tip 3 may, for example, exceed the largest cross-sectional dimension of the adjacent connected portion 4 of the spiked heel 2 by about ten to several hundred percent, as for example up to 300400% or more depending on the style and appearance desired. In most cases to obtain a stylish appearance, the diameter of the spherical tip will not exceed the largest cross-sectional size of the adjacent connected portion of the heel by more than about 100%.

The spherical tip 3 may be formed of any suitable structural material as for example rubber, hard rubber, plastic, metal, wood, or leather and may be attached to the heel in any desired manner. Examples of suitable plastics which may be used to form the spherical tip include nylon, polyethylenes, polyesters, polyurethanes, polymethylmethacrylate, and the like. The spherical tip 3 may be colored any desired color corresponding or complementing the ice color of the heel 2 or the remainder of the shoe or may be of a natural appearance of the material of which it is construed, as for example, in connection with wood, metal, clear plastic, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the spherical tip 3 is drilled and counter sunk at 5 and 6 and connected to the heel by screwing with a tapered wood screw 7. The portion of the tip 3 where it mates with the remaining portion of the spiked heel 2 may be flattened at 4- to provide a better joint. Conversely, the mating portion of the remainder of the heel 2 may be shaped concave to receive the spherical tip or the surfaces may be shaped in any appropriate manner to provide a suitable mating. The construction, as shown in FIG. 2, allows easy attachment of the spherical tip and an exchange thereof. Additionally, as the tip becomes worn in use, the screw 7 may be loosened and the tip 3 rotated to allow adjustment and compensate for wear.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spiked heel 2 is provided with the metal threaded stud 8 and the spherical tip 3 is provided with the tapped hole 9 into which the threaded stud 8 is screwed for attachment. As shown, the end of the portion 2 is concavely shaped to receive the spherical tip or ball 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the spherical tip 3 is provided with the cutout 10 into which the end of the spiked heel portion 2 may be inserted and secured by gluing or other suitable bonding.

It is also possible to form the entire spiked heel with the spherical tip 2 as a single integral unit, as for example, by molding or otherwise appropriately shaping the heel. The portion 2 need not have the conventional heel shape but may be in the form of a simple rod or tapered rod so that, for example, the entire heel may be formed by turning. The end of the tip 3 need not be perfectly spherical but may be flattened or provided with a facet as for example the flattened or facet portion 11 shown in FIG. 4. This, however, extends over substantially less than a great circle. The tip may also be provided with further facets, engravings or designs for aesthetic purposes.

It has been found that in use this spherical tip is extremely comfortable and will not damage floor coverings such as loop pile carpets and the like. Additionally, the heel is extremely wear resistant and may be readily replaced and compensated for Wear in use by the rotational adjustment as described.-

In use only the lower portion of the heel tip is functional so that within the broadest aspects of the invention it is only necessary that this lower portion be spherical and the term as used herein and in the claims is intended to cover not only an entire sphere, but a portion of a sphere covering the bottom functional portion of the heel. FIG. 5, for example, shows an embodiment in accordance with the invention in which the tip 12 of the heel 2 is in the form of a semisphere.

While the invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments shown, various changes and modifications which fall within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims will become apparent to the skilled artisan. The invention is, therefore, only intended to be limited by the appended claims or their equivalents wherein I have endeavored to claim all inherent novelty.

I claim:

1. A spike heel for a womans shoe comprising a narrow elongated heel shaft terminating with a spherical tip of greater diameter than the maximum cross-sectional size of the adjacent portion of the heel shaft to which it is connected, said spherical tip constituting the walking surface of the heel whereby the same may be utilized for Walking on carpet without damage to the carpet.

2. A spike heel according to claim 1 in which said spherical tip is connected to said heel shaft by a screw connection.

3. A spike heel according to claim 1 in which said spherical tip is rotationally, adjustably connected to the heel shaft whereby the relatively rotational position of the spherical tip with respect to the shaft may be varied to compensate for wear.

4. Spike heel according to claim 1 in which said spherical tip has at least one flattened facet extending over a minor circle of the sphere.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 960,708 6/1910 Rottger 36-39 2,216,113 10/ 1940 Jahncke 3634 2,851,797 9/1958 Ronci 3634 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,131,822 10/1956 France.

FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. 

1. A SPIKE HEEL FOR A WOMAN''S SHOE COMPRISING A NARROW ELONGATED HEEL SHAFT TERMINATING WITH A SPHERICAL TIP OF GREATER DIAMETER THAN THE MAXIMUM CROSS-SECTIONAL SIZE OF THE ADJACENT PORTION OF THE HEEL SHAFT TO WHICH IT IS CONNECTED, SAID SPHERICAL TIP CONSTITUTING THE WALKING SURFACE OF THE HEEL WHEREBY THE SAME MAY BE UTILIZED FOR WALKING ON CARPET WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE CARPET. 